Office Hours

52 | the c o u r a g e o u s

| Z O Y A |

     THE FOLLOWING MORNING after Caden dropped her at her dorm, Zoya found many ways to distract her mind - she cleaned; read; talked to Renae and Aunt Gwinnet until she found herself searching for Grace on instagram.

Scrolling through Caden's following, she scowled when she found what she was looking for.

Why do they still follow each other?, she bitterly thought.

Focus, the voice in the back of her head reminded.

Zoya nodded before clicking on Grace's page. Grace had close to three hundred thousand followers and it shocked Zoya. Grace's feed had a lovely aesthetic that represented her personality well: a bubbly cheerleader who was the daughter to a happily-married Christian couple.

Zoya scrolled through the pictures, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

The feed was too perfect.

Remembering the palm print on Grace's face and the vulnerability she showed when speaking of her friends, Zoya sighed with only thought: this is what Grace wants people to believe.

She's like Alyssa. . .

Zoya sighed.

I need to make use of the counselors at school one of these days, she thought while typing a message to Grace.

[zoyaaa]: Hey it's Zoya.

She clicked send and tapped her finger on the back of her phone while waiting on an answer.

When her phone dinged, her heart skipped a beat.

[being.grace]: I see that.

[zoyaaa]: Can we talk?

[being.grace]: What do we have to talk about?

[zoyaaa]: Why is guilt a heavy burden to carry 👀

[being.grace]: typing. . .

Zoya narrowed her eyes, hoping Grace understood what she was alluding to. Finally, a message came in:

[being.grace]: Meet me at the mall in twenty minutes. Don't be late.

Then suppose fi ar shit can mek patty?

***

     ZOYA ADMIRED THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR. She'd never seen or even been this close to such a high-end vehicle before. This was surreal.

Then a really dis ya rich girl Caden did deh wid and leff her?

"I don't have all day," Grace's voice disrupted Zoya's blatant gawking.

Looking back at Grace, Zoya decided to simply blurt it out. "I told Caden about what you told me."

Grace's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"Don't worry, I didn't say your name and I took out the parts that could lead to you."

Grace's eyes narrowed. "And he believed you?"